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AMD's New Catalyst Linux Driver Isn't Too Good

11-22-2012, 11:00 AM

Phoronix: AMD's New Catalyst Linux Driver Isn't Too Good

Last week marked the release of a new AMD Catalyst Linux driver beta that was intended to improve the AMD Radeon OpenGL performance. AMD said this updated closed-source Linux graphics driver would bring "significant performance improvements" for Valve's recently ported Left 4 Dead 2 Linux game. Curious about AMD Linux OpenGL performance improvements elsewhere, I ran some benchmarks of this new driver on several different graphics cards. Unfortunately, the performance improvements aren't too widespread and there's other problems making this beta driver not appealing.

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An upcoming update for Ubuntu 12.10 (Compiz 0.9.7.10) will enable unredirect fullscreen windows by default, improving performance and responsiveness for fullscreen OpenGL games, so more goodness is coming.

An upcoming update for Ubuntu 12.10 (Compiz 0.9.7.10) will enable unredirect fullscreen windows by default, improving performance and responsiveness for fullscreen OpenGL games, so more goodness is coming.

Selecting that option does seem to help, but IME something is still off big-time. It might be dual-monitor related, but traditionally (pre-Unity / GNOME3) I've never had any problems, and have never had to select that option. It'll get sorted out soon enough no doubt.

"I've been part of the Linux beta since the beginning, however, until a later date when the beta is more open and any initial issues are worked out, benchmarks and other information can't be shared. But when the time comes, of course, there will be plenty of Phoronix benchmarks from the Source Engine games on Linux with different drivers and hardware."

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I am still unable to use those new fglrx driver since they dropped hd4000 series support. I have a hybrid HD4200/HD5650 and I can't use the supported hd5650 and I guess is because the hybrid graphics with an unsupported product.

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Can someone from AMD OpenSource team pass along few words of notice to Catalyst team? (With link to this phoronix article)

PS I was wandering if AMD teams share tests for conformance with all those technology out there? (OpenGL but also multimedia apis, etc.) That should be easy, should not revile any state secrets, and made both drivers better.

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Well, AMD only said they improved L4D2, they didn't say everything else was still working as before.
I don't know if anyone still remembers, but this is why AMD turned to the open source community in the first place: their in-house solution just couldn't keep up. Rather sad...